Oil-refining apparatus.



F. E. WELLMAN.

0|L REFINING APPARATUS.

APPLICATlON FILED JULY 22.19l6.

1 ,27 3,966. Patented July 30, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. E. WELLMAN.

OIL REFINING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22'. I916.

Patented July 30, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ii 'm n {a (Q m A! v 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' FRANK E. WELLMAN; or KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO THE KANSAs CITY GASOLINE COMPANY, or KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, A CORPORATION OF KANSAS.

. OIL-REFINING APPARATUS.

Application filed. July 22, 1916. Serial No. 110,794.

To all whom it may concern:

specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing,

My invention relates to the refining of mmeral oils and has for its object the improvement of apparatus heretofore employed, in

particulars to be hereinafter pointed out.

In prior applications, to which the present application is related, I have disclosed and claim apparatus and methods for cracking hydrocarbon oils either in the liquid phase or in the vapor phase, by separately controlled heat and pressure; and in certain of said applications I have described and claimed structural features, including welded coils, and expansion .coils. For cracking in the vapor phase, the essential features thus disclosed are, a vaporizer or boiler working under atmospheric or approximatelyatmospheric pressure, a compressor deriving its supply from the vaporizer and designed to produce high pressures on its discharge side, a super-heater receiving the compressed vapors from the compressor, a fractionater or dephlegmator receiving the cracked product, a condenser, a receiving tank, and a return line with back trap,'for carrying the uncracked heavier hydrocarbons back to the vaporizer for retreatment. Certain important ancillary features also appear in divers of my said prior applications, including an automatic back pressure valve or check valve between the compressor and super-heater, an automatic pressure relief valve between the check valve and the super-heater, a high pressure control'valve between the super-heater and the'condensing system, a precooler between the super-heater and said pressure con-trolling valve, a telltale for the return pipe or back trap, and observation means such as a glass column on the receiving tank, with controlling valves in the several-pipe lines and connections- An important improvement is described and claimed in. my prior application S. No. 96,260, filed May 8, 1916, this improvement consisting not only in the coil structure as such, but in the application thereto of the principle of expansion, the super-heater coil Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1918 being given a larger volume per unit length than the supply or feed pipe, whereby a number of important advantages are gained, including an increase in heating suriaee proportionately to the length, and an increase in the time element in the time of exposure, proportionate to the increase in volume, both being attained Without interrupting the continuity of flow and without changing the continuous tubular character of the system of apparatus.

For cracking in the liquid phase, I have shown that the pump may be substituted for the compressor (using these terms in their spec fic trade sense), that the pressure in thesuper-heater can be produced or maintained in part autogenously, without losing the power of separate control of heat and pressure. I have also described and claim the adaptation of the foregoing apparatus and methods to liquid hydrocarbon phase cracking, and have attained a very high efliciency by the use thereof.

The present system, as will sufliciently appear hereinafter, combines my prior monophase systems, with the best results which I have so far attained. In actual commercial practice with this system I am able to pro duce approximately Sixty-five per cent. total conversion from the crude oil into a mixed Series testin r out at approximately 60 degrees Baume, or even higher, according to the nature of the crude employed. A great advantage moreover is presented, in the practical absence of coky or carbon deposits in the super-heater. This is partly due to the nature of the process itself, and partly to the fact that I pass from one step to an other in the process,-with constant intermediate eliminating of carbon, which would otherwise be deposited and would coke in the apparatus. To a' certain extent this eliminating of carbon is accomplished step by step in my previous systems, which in the main employ the same process, but in the present case it is accomplished more perfectly, and I wish it understood that I consider it an important part of the inventi n,

as well as in my said previous inventions and,

shall claim it accordingly.

Very briefly stated, the steps in the presthrough a pipe line leading to a condenser system, the design of the pipe line being such that for any given temperature in the vaporizer, all hydrocarbons having boiling points below said temperature will pass over to the condenser, while those having boiling points of a range approximately orextending above said temperature, will condense and constantly drain back-into the vaporizer; (2) gradually increasing the temperature in the vaporizer so as to force overall the hydrocarbons which will crack, and all those which will vaporize, at low pressure; condensing the vapors and making a out between the desired lighter series, whose boiling points are below say 350 degrees F., to which I may refer as asolene, and those having higher boiling points to which I may refer as kerosene or heavy distillate; (4) receiving and storing the gasolene products;

(5) receiving and pumping the heavy distillate or kerosene into my expansion coil super-heater and cracking the same therein under suitable heat and pressure; (6) carrying the mixed hydrocarbons after cracking through a large volume pipe, to and through a precooler; (7) carrying the cooled mixture through a pipe of reduced volume, (which permits the use of a controlling valve of relatively small size), and at increased linear speed, to fractional condensing means; (8)

fractionating and taking off the lighter hydrocarbons or gasolene and condensing the same; (9) draining oil the heavy constituents from the fractionater or lephlegmator to a back trap and return ipe lineto the vaporizer or primary side 0 the system, for retreatment.

I shall hereinafter describe a specific arrangement of apparatus for practising the process thus briefly outlined, but it is of course to be understood that such description and the illustration accompanying it and forming a part of this application, are given for purposes of definition only, and not of limitation. Divers and sundry changes may be made in the apparatus and its connections, and even some changes in the process, as for example the temperatures employed, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

-It will be observed without further description, that there are no less than threeproduct, and I take ofl each and all of theconstituents having higher boiling points,

to the back trap or return line.

diagram in conventional form ratus employed.

panying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2, y

when placed together, contain a complete of the appa- Referring to Fig. 1, lis a primary still or vaporizer with a suitable furnace which as shown is provided with both oil and gas jets, 2 and 3, for heating. These jets or nozzles have the usual controlling apparatus and the oil jet is supplied from any suitable source, while the gas jet is connected through a pipe 3 to' the receiving tank 45 which in practice may be identical with tank- 4* but which in the drawing is shown sep-' arately for convenience of illustration. The still 1 is provided with the usual supply ipe and a drainage pipe 5 for drawing 0 the residual fuel oil and tar. It is'normally closed by a tar plu 6' controlled as usual from without the still.

From the still 1 a vapor line service extends to the condenser 8, from which a discharge pipe 9 leads through a three way valve 10 to the receiving tank 4*. A branch pipe 11 leads from the valve 10 to another receiving tank 12, from which extends a suction pipe 13 to the pump 14. From the pump a discharge pipe 15 is carried to the super-heater 16. In the pipe line 15 are con nected an automatic check valve 17 and a normal relief valve 18. Up to this point the pipes employed are usually of one and one half inches internal diameter but the coil of the super-heater is'expanded at the intake head 16 to the internal diameter of approximately 5 inches. From the outlet head 16", an extension pipe 19, also of 5' inches internal diameter, is carried to the precooler 20 and extends through said precooler without anyreduction in its diameter. The precooler may beof any desired form, but in practice I employ an iron tank in which water is caused to circulate, and

to accommodate a number of coils of one and one half'inch pipe 21 from the relief valve 18. This or an equivalent provision for cooling the relief pipe 21 is absolutely necessary in practice, in order to prevent the destructive effect of oil suddenly discharged would otherwise add fuel in a dangerously heated condition, to any fire already started.

For a similar purpose I insert a check valve 22 in the pipe 19 leading into the precooler which is conveniently made large enough 20. This check valve acts in case of emergency, to prevent the back flow of oil and vapor from the dephlegmator, to be later described, into the super-heater. In normal operation, the outflow of cracked products from the super-heater coil through the pipe 23 is regulated by the high pressure controlling valve 25.

The dephlegmator 24 is provided with a water jacket 26 with inlet pipe 27 and discharge pipes 28 and 29 set at different levels for the purpose of making a out between products of different gravities. The dephlegmator is partly filled with divided material, such as metal shavings, offering a large surface and it has three discharge pipes 31, 32, and 33, the first emerging from the top, the second from the side, and the third from the bottom of the drum. The products which have a low enough specific gravity to pass'over the top, are carried through the pipe 31 to a condenser 34, from which the condensed liquid and the fixed gases 'accompanyin it are discharged into the receiving tan 1. These fixed gases are preferably used as fuel passing through the pipe 3 to the nozzle.

The pipe 33, emerging from the bottom of the dephlegmator extends to the top of the tell-tale 35 provided with try cocks 36, or their equivalent, and havinga bottom discharge pipe 37 connected through a three way valve 38 to the return pipe 39. The pipe 32, emerging from the side of the dephlegmator, is provided with gage 40 and is connected to valve 38 and pipe 39 through trap 41.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows:

The still or vaporizer 1 having been charged, is heated to a low boiling point at atmospheric pressure, for example 200 degrees. Vapor is formed and commences to go over through the pipe 7 at and below this temperature. As the heating continues, the vapor rises to the condenser 8, while any oil or heavy constituentsrarried up in divided form, or otherwise, drain back through the pipe 7 into the still 1. The length, size and amount of rise of the pipe'7 may vary somewhat, but to insure a successful out between the natural or saturated gasolene series, and the heavier distillate there should besufii cient length and surface so that hydro-carbons vaporizing at or about the critical temmary temperature has reached a point where the heavier material commences to go over, which requirescrackingfthe vlave 10 is nianipulated to connect the pipe line through the branch 11 with a tank 12, and the connection to tank 4 is shut off. The pump 11 is then started, and the super-heater coil 16 is partially filled withthe heavier distillate or kerosene series, and heat is started in the furnace of the super-heater. With the high pressure controlling valve 25 closed, the temperature'of the super-heater is raised, and at the same time the pump 1 1 is kept working to increase the pressure, until eflicient crack ing commences. The valve 25 is then manipulated so as to start an outflow of the cracked products through thepipe 23 to the of the increased quantity, and also of the better quality of the product, this being probably due to the more complete cracking,

As already stated the cracked product is taken through the pipe 23 into the dephlegma'tor, in which it rises and the lighter constituents pass over through the pipe 31 to the condenser coil 34 whence they discharge into the tank 4".

The uncracked and-heavier constituents left in the dephlegmator are drained off through the pipe 33 and carried through the tell-tale drum 35 and valve 38 to the return pipe 39, by which they are conveyed back to the primary still to be mingled'with the contents thereof, and again treated. The pipe 32, in addition to a fractionating function when it is desired to make a fine cut, serves to prevent choking up of the dephlegmator by therise of heavier hydro-carbons therein,

this being drained off through the pipe 32 as soon as they reach its level, and passlng to the return pipe 39 through the trap 41.

In this system, I provide valves of suitable I type at all points Where control is needed. For example, I insert a valve 3* in the gas pipe'3 at a point remote from the furnace, and I provide a similar valve at a remote point in the oil line leading to said furnace, so that the supply of fuel may be cut off therefrom without approaching the furnace if desired or necessary. At all otherpoints, it'is to be understood where high back pressure or a dangerous" fiow mightoccur, an easily operated valve is inserted. In add1- tion to this, it will be noted that I have shown the relief valve 18 as provided with I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A system for treatinn liquid hydrocarbons v comprising the following instrumentalities:

a vaporizer or boiler, a vapor line leading to a point elevated above the vaporizer, a condenser connected to said vapor line, a discharge pipe for said condenser, means in said discharge pipe for effecting a out between the hydrocarbons of different series in the condensed product, a pump connected with said means and adapted to receive the heavier hydrocarbons therefrom, a superheater COll connected to the pump, means for heating sald c011, at dephlegmator or fractional separator receivingthe hydrocarbons.

of mixed series from the superheater coil, after cracking therein, a condenser to condense said hydrocarbons having a low specific gravity, a receiving tank' connected to said condenser, and a back trap or return pipe line connected to the dephlegmator, extending to the primary source of supplv.

and adapted to receive only the heavier un-- cracked hydrocarbons from the dephlegmator.

In testimonv whereof I atiix my signaturef FRANK E. WELLMAN. 

